Our Story

250 years ago, American distilleries were producing 5 million gallons of it annually. In the bustling port towns of early America, no drink was more cherished than rum. You could even say to the American colonies that rum was king. It filled the tavern mugs of Boston merchants and fueled the booming economy of New England distilleries.

In 1733, parliament passed the Molasses Act, imposing heavy taxes on the key ingredient of rum. The colonists responded not with submission, but with defiance — smuggling became widespread, and some of America’s most famous patriots, like John Hancock, filled their ships with contraband molasses from French and Dutch islands.

However, the Sugar Act of 1764 tightened enforcement, and the American colonists began to organize. British goods were boycotted, tea was spilled into the harbor, and Revere set off on his midnight ride. The next day the shot heard around the world took place in Concord and the war began. But victory came at a cost.

When the war ended, the British implemented trade sanctions. They cut off access for American ships to Caribbean sugar islands, severing the supply of molasses. With supply lines broken, distilleries faced a choice – go out of business or pivot to grains. Soon after whiskey rose to takes its place. The drink that had built the colonies and fueled their revolution, faded from the forefront of American life and was forgotten in its homeland.
 
Just as Revere signaled the start of the American Revolution, we intend to do the same — but this time declaring independence from Caribbean distillers!

Rum

The Original American Spirit